Best Road Trip in Central Asia
2009: Oct 20-Nov 9
2010: April 13-May 3,
May 11-31, Aug 24-Sept 13,
Oct 12-Nov 1
(View a slideshow)
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Frosty, Toasty and Bubbly this Winter Season
Enjoy an exhilarating horse-drawn sleigh ride, sip
champagne by the fireside, or cozy up on a special Trans-Siberian
Railway departure.
A warm New Year's in
St. Petersburg
Russian Winter
Wonder Land
Dec 29, 2009-Jan 7, 2010
(View a slideshow)
A cozy, fascinating Winter
Wonderland rail journey
between Moscow
and Vladivostok
The Trans-Siberian Railway
with
BBC's John Simpson
Feb 7-20, 2010 (Eastbound)
Feb 18-March 3, 2010
(Westbound)
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Kyrgyzstan Claims First UNESCO World Heritage Site
The sacred mountain commonly known as Suleiman's Throne became Kyrgyzstan's first UNESCO World Heritage Site in June of 2009. Overlooking Osh, the country's oldest city in the lush Fergana Valley, the site encompasses numerous ancient petroglyphs and pre-Islamic and Islamic places of worship, including Babur's House, where the founder of India's 14th century Mughul Dynasty is said to have prayed.
Travelers on these MIR small group tours, which stop in Osh, have been appreciating this site for many years:
Journey Through Central Asia: The Five 'Stans
2009: Oct 20-Nov 9
All other 2009 departures are sold out.
2010: April 13-May 3, May 11-31, Aug 24-Sept 13,
Oct 12-Nov 1
(View a slideshow)
Chinese Turkestan & Central Asia
2010: May 12-June 4, Aug 25-Sept 17
(View a slideshow)
(Read a travel log)
Armenian Visa Fees Slashed
The Armenian Tourism Development Agency has initiated efforts to make visas cheaper and easier to obtain. Armenian consular fees a new visa category of 21-day stay for U.S. passport holders have been slashed, saving travelers $59 over previous visa fees.
Armenia famously claims to be the first country to embrace Christianity as a state religion, and this record informs its history. Powerful old churches, built of huge blocks of red or yellow stone are silhouetted on the hilltops or tucked away in the valleys. Thousands of basalt khachkar crosses, lovingly carved and filigreed memorial stones dating from the 10th century onward, draw the eye towards the east. In Yerevan, a city older even than Rome, the rich repository of ancient written works, the Matenadaran, guards brilliant illuminated medieval manuscripts of the Gospels.
Visit the gorgeous Caucasus Mountain country of Armenia on these MIR tours:
Treasures of the Trans-Caucasus
2009: Oct 7-21 (new departure).
All other 2009 departures are sold out.
2010: May 4-18, Sept 14-28
(View a slideshow)
(Read a travel log)
Georgia & Armenia: Mountains & Monasteries
We are now taking bookings for July 2010; please call
800-424-7289 for more information.
(View a slideshow)
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